In the field of packaging it is known to provide basket style article carriers for carrying multiple articles. Basket style article carriers are well known in the art and are useful for enabling consumers to transport, store and access a group of articles for consumption. These carriers typically have a handle on top, such that the carrier mimics a conventional basket, and typically include a riser or medial partition from which the handle is fashioned. Such a handle placement can make it awkward for a consumer to grasp the carrier for removing the carrier from a shelf. Although consumers may appreciate basket-style article carriers for their convenience of carrying, their carrying comfort is not fully ergonomic and could be improved. Therefore, there exists a need for a basket-style article carrier that is more readily removable from a store shelf. It may be desirable for the basket-style article carrier to be stackable when loaded yet still convenient for the consumer to carry. For cost and environmental considerations, such cartons or carriers need to be formed from as little material as possible and cause as little wastage in the materials from which they are formed as possible. Further considerations are the strength of the carrier; its suitability for holding and transporting large weights of articles; and the aesthetic appeal of the carrier which, if eye-catching and appealing to a consumer, may promote increased sales.
The present invention seeks to provide an improvement in the field of basket-style article carriers, typically formed from paperboard or the like.